By Johnson Kanyesige
The government, through the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), is set to exhume and relocate more than 1,800 graves discovered on the land earmarked for the construction of the Kabaale Industrial Park in Kabaale Sub-County, Hoima District.
According to Robert Mukondo, a Social Development Specialist (SDS) at UNOC, the graves belong to some of the 7,000 Project Affected Persons (PAPs) who lost their relatives and buried them within the land acquired by the government for the industrial park. While the affected families received compensation, many did not exhume or relocate the bodies of their loved ones.
“UNOC has so far identified 1,826 graves in the area proposed for the industrial park. These need to be exhumed, relocated, and reburied,” said Mukondo. He explained that UNOC is now seeking the intervention of the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom to secure land for reburial, as many of the deceased’s relatives are difficult to trace. He emphasized the need to respect cultural norms and rituals associated with exhumation and reburial.
“As the oil and gas sector advances towards the production phase, it is crucial that we consult the Bunyoro Kingdom about cultural practices surrounding the exhumation and relocation of bodies,” Mukondo noted. He said that UNOC is working closely with local authorities and communities adjacent to the construction site to identify and trace the relatives of the deceased persons.
In response, Alex Katusabe, the Chief Administrative Secretary of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, urged UNOC to first identify and trace the relatives of the deceased before reburial can take place. He assured the company that the Kingdom would allocate land to ensure the exhumed bodies receive a culturally appropriate and decent reburial.
The Kabaale Industrial Park will be built on 29 square kilometers of land acquired by the government in 2012 for the oil refinery project across 13 villages in Kabaale Parish, Buseruka Sub-county. The industrial park will host key infrastructure, including an international airport, a crude oil export hub, a refinery, petrochemical and fertilizer industries, warehousing and logistics facilities, agro-processors, polymer industries, and other related facilities.
During the initial land acquisition, over 7,000 people were displaced. Some of them were resettled in Kyakaboga village, Buseruka Sub-county, where government secured 533 acres and constructed permanent houses for affected families.
